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DLP Projector question

Two identical higher end ($7,000) DLP projectors. One appears dimmer than the other. Take the bulbs out of the bright one and put them in the dim one. Changed the actual lens too. Still dim. Ideas on what to check?

Two identical higher end ($7,000) DLP projectors. One appears dimmer than the other. Take the bulbs out of the bright one and put them in the dim one. Changed the actual lens too. Still dim. Ideas on what to check?

It's not tremendously dimmer but, maybe 30%.

I don't want to sound patronizing but you're sure one of them is not in "eco" mode?

or misalignment, or dirt(soot) burned dlp chip. ECO mode sounds like a good place to start. Then see if you can measure the output of the bulb in place in both projectors before the optics. The power supply might be weak too. Missing reflector?

I'll check the eco mode. (Not patronizing) It actually has two bulbs and I think is running in dual mode.

If it's something more severe than that like a potential burned DLP chip, then that's beyond my scope. It's also mounted 14 feet in the air in the ballroom so, not a whole lot I can do without completely taking it down out of the lift again.

My banquet captain says she doesn't notice a difference but I sure do and it looks like hell when I have business clients needing to use it. I *know* the previous projector was brighter. I picked the identical replacement up on eBay so I'm naturally suspect to begin with.

The AV company wants $8,000 to replace it with a new, current, laser fueled projector but it's going to be awhile before I can convince the buildings owners to drop $8k on a new projector.

I'll check the eco mode. (Not patronizing) It actually has two bulbs and I think is running in dual mode.

If it's something more severe than that like a potential burned DLP chip, then that's beyond my scope. It's also mounted 14 feet in the air in the ballroom so, not a whole lot I can do without completely taking it down out of the lift again.

My banquet captain says she doesn't notice a difference but I sure do and it looks like hell when I have business clients needing to use it. I *know* the previous projector was brighter. I picked the identical replacement up on eBay so I'm naturally suspect to begin with.

The AV company wants $8,000 to replace it with a new, current, laser fueled projector but it's going to be awhile before I can convince the buildings owners to drop $8k on a new projector.

May I suggests a bastad cheat.....pair of polarized filter gel to match them. Make the brighter dimmer. Maybe start in the eco mode for the bright one then a pair of polarizers to adjust it just right. It will work but you give something to get it.

May I suggests a bastad cheat.....pair of polarized filter gel to match them. Make the brighter dimmer. Maybe start in the eco mode for the bright one then a pair of polarizers to adjust it just right. It will work but you give something to get it.

I don't run them both at the same time. I guess I should have provided more of a back story.

Our Panasonic D4000u, mounted on a lift in the ballroom, crapped out last fall. Basically there is probably a polyswitch or something causing it to shut down as soon as the splash screen comes up. I don't think the fans are spinning to cool the bulbs. While it was a really expensive projector in it's day, it's 12 year old technology and I wanted to get it replaced. It's been a pain in the ass projector from way back when. It's integrated into our whole dedicated computerized AV system so the replacement really needed to be something probably from Panasonic that would work with our system. The only local AV company that can work with any of this stuff came back to me after several weeks with a proposal for a new projector with installation/integration that was $8,000.

The caterer I work for certainly doesn't want to pay $8k and, the buildings owners who paid for the whole $80k AV system when the building was constructed, don't want to pay $8k and they've both been at odds with each other for some time. (We don't charge clients for AV use like most hotels and such do. We provide everything for free.) So, my only option at the time was buy another Panasonic D4000u on ebay and swap it out myself. Precarious undertakings on top of a 12 foot ladder to say the least but, I got it done. I took the lens and bulbs out of the old one since I had replaced the bulbs a couple hundred hours back and, installed them in the "new" projector.

I got the local AV company to get the projector and computer "talking" to each other since there was some networking settings that had to be changed and lo and behold... it works fine but just isn't as bright as what I remember the former projector to be.

I'm also hitting everybody with the fact that all 8 of our $700 Shure wireless mic systems have to be replaced because they're all on the 600Mhz range and, talking technology with these old farts that are going to have to pay the bill for the projector and mics is a futile exercise. It will get done but not without a lot of stress over who is paying for what.

At the end of the day, I'm the one that's dealing with the clients who have to use mic's or, play their videos or powerpoint slides so, I have to make due with what I can. I bought a $500 Epson at Best Buy when the Panasonic first crapped out and it's certainly brighter and I can plug in HMDI but, it also has to sit on a table in front of the stage - which doesn't work in many situations.